Kentucky may not immediately have a Power Five football transfer at its disposal. Or, it may. Depends.
Joey Gatewood decided in late October of last year to transfer from Auburn. On the Tigers quarterback’s transfer to-do list were Florida, Kentucky, LSU and Mississippi State, among others. In early December, Gatewood opted to transfer to Kentucky.
Normally, Gatewood would have to sit out the 2020 season for the Wildcats. However, the player and the Kentucky football program will seek a waiver that would allow Gatewood to play this upcoming campaign. That process began in the spring.
The basis for which a waiver is being sought is unclear.
A four-star 2018 signee, Gatewood was rated as the No. 9 player at any position in the state of Florida and the No. 49 recruit overall on 247Sports.com‘s composite board. The Jacksonville product was the highest-rated signee in the Tigers’ class that year.
After redshirting as a true freshman — and after losing out on the starting job to Bo Nix — Gatewood threw for 54 yards and two touchdowns prior to his decision to transfer. He also added another 148 yards and three scores on the ground.
Terry Wilson will likely head into summer camp as QB1 for UK. Wilson began 2019 as the starter before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. His replacement, Sawyer Smith, also suffered a season-ending injury. And will also return for 2020.